{shopping for style} In Search of a Room Divider

Yesterday I showed you our "temporary" exercise room - temporary in that, when we set the room up, we knew it would someday be converted into a kid's bedroom. And now that day is almost here.

The exercise room will soon become Beckett's "big boy" room, leaving the question of what to do with our two large pieces of workout equipment - the elliptical machine and our stationary bike. I've always envisioned that one of these - most likely the elliptical, because it gets the most use - would end up in our guest room. But now that it's about to be a reality, I'm getting a little worried about how to minimize the impact of this big ugly machine in our oh so pretty guest room.

In case you missed the blog posts about our guest suite, let me quickly catch you up by telling you that the design of both the guest bedroom and en suite guest bathroom were inspired by our honeymoon on the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini. If I had to describe our guest suite in one word, it would have to be serene... and that is one thing that an elliptical machine definitely is not. Fortunately, the way the room is laid out, there is a decent amount of space in the corner, behind the bedroom door, with enough width for the elliptical to be tucked back there.

Of course, that means that the comfy white bean bag chair and the orchid wall sticker will need to be relocated.

I think the bean bag chair will likely end up in this corner:

And the orchid wall sticker might find a new home above the desk, maybe even wrapping around this corner:

But back to the elliptical machine... The one thing I have on my side is that the dark grey walls of the guest room should somewhat help to camouflage this big, black piece of equipment.

But I still want to do something to further hide it from view, and I think that will most likely mean a room divider of some sort. I've already done some pretty serious online searching for the perfect screen, and I've found some solid (and some not so solid) contenders.

All of the furniture in the guest room is white, so my first thought was to find a white room divider screen.

- 1 - This white wood room divider from Hayneedle is one of my favorite options for its simple lines and understated detail, but unfortunately it is currently out of stock with no indication of when it might be available again.

- 3 - I really love this divider screen made of teakwood poles. It has a very beachy feel to it, which fits perfectly with the Greek island inspired design of the guest room. Unfortunately, at under 3 feet wide, I would need at least two of these to hide the elliptical machine - and at a cost of $580 each, that makes this option WAY out of my price range!

- 4 - This is one of the nicer white room divider screens that I found, but the style is just isn't right for the space. This screen's tufted leather and nail head detail are just too formal for the design of the room, which is actually a relief considering this screen comes in at a whopping $1,400!

- 5 - On the other end of the cost spectrum, option five is rather reasonable at $227, especially considering this six panel screen is much wider than any of the other room dividers I have found. But this screen is made of white canvas, and without being able to see it in person prior to purchasing, I am concerned it might end up looking cheap.

As I was struggling to find the perfect white room divider, I began thinking that perhaps a teak or bamboo colored screen would be the way to go since there are bamboo accents throughout the guest room.- 6 - I just LOVE the modern lines of the Lilac Bamboo Screen, but it has two significant downsides. One is that the spaces between the bamboo slats are wide enough to allow a pretty clear view of what sits behind the screen. The other downside is the cost of $630.- 7 - I am unsure how I feel about this option. It's not bamboo or teak, but rather its a water hyacinth screen. I like the chunky, natural texture of this room divider, but it's described online as being perfect for any country or rustic styled room - and my guest room is certainly neither of those things. It seems like it might look nice in the space, but without being able to see it in person, I'm a little iffy on this one.- 8 - No doubt that this is a bamboo screen, and the price is right on at only $130 - but unfortunately I think it's too literal of a translation. This room divider has much more of a Hawaiian luau feel, rather than a Greek Island feel, so I just don't think it's right for my space.- 9 - I really like this Jewels of Java Teak Privacy Screen. If I decide to go with a teak colored screen rather than white, this could be a major contender, but only if I can get it on a really good sale, because it's still quite a bit pricier than I would prefer.- 10 - This Screen Gems Crushed Bamboo Decorative Room Divider is also quite nice. My only concern is that the detail of the diamond pattern might be a bit too busy and draw too much focus in the space. It's also currently out of stock, but by the time I make a decision it might just be available again.

Rather than being a hinged room divider like the others I looked at, these are individual panels, but it would be a pretty simple project to add some hinges to attach two or three panels. The problem is that each panel would run nearly $300, making it cost prohibitive to attach several panels together. However, seeing these panels got me to thinking that I could possibly DIY something similar by purchasing some boards from a hardware store and using stain and white paint to create a similar pattern, and then attaching hinges to create a screen. I'm not sure yet if this is the way I want to go, but a DIY project could be fun!

Finally I came across this screen that really caught my eye. This was a one of a kind piece from HammerAndHandImports on Etsy made from vintage wood panels, and it is already sold.

But the doors that made up this screen reminded me so much of the shape of all of the blue doors on the island of Santorini.

A little more online shopping revealed the Southey Three-Panel Room Divider from Hayneedle. Now that I am thinking along the lines of a screen that looks like the doors on the island of Santorini, this room divider option is right on. But now I find myself asking a new question... If I were to go with this room divider (again, only if I could get it on a really great sale), should I leave it white, which is consistent with my original search for a white room divider, or should I paint it blue like the doors of Santorini? Blue would definitely create a direct tie in to the overall Greek Island style of the room, but in a room that is almost all white and grey, would blue "doors" be too much?!

Ok, there you have it. There are lots of room divider options out there, but I am really torn. Since I really love the guest room in its current state, I want to make sure that the screen I choose compliments the space and helps to seamlessly integrate a piece of exercise equipment that would otherwise feel very out of place in the serene space.

So, what do you think? Would you go with a white screen or a bamboo/teak color? Do I DIY my own screen? And what do you think of the possibility of a room divider that mimics the look of vintage doors? If I were to go with the vintage door look - do I keep it white, or go bold with blue doors like those that are so common in Santorini? Please share your opinions and advice!

5 comments
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I love love love your wall color! And I'm not too bothered by the workout equipment...afterall, it's real life happening in your home. But what about one of those woven panels from Ikea, that you mount on a rail from the ceiling. That way you can open it up while working out, then close it when you're not. My two cents. :)

Will the divider only be used for when there is company in that room or will you be restoring it each time you finish working out? (The latter could be cumbersome, but I do understand the struggle in introducing expercise equipment to a room you already like as-is.) I like the last ideas about mimicking the sturdy door structures of Greece, especially the Hammer one. A DIY version in white would be great with the design in my opinion, but might look too full in a bedroom-size room. Might suggest a way to stop the door at 90 degrees and tuck it over there so it's mostly out of sight in passing your guest room, but the white divider (matching your frame and trim in the room instead of suddenly adding the blue to a complete design) might help complete the look when a guest closes the door for the night.

I LOVE #3 the most as I think it's the most unique concept. Have you thought about trying to do this version as a DIY project? I'm sure you could find someone who has to do some tree trimming somewhere and get some branches to paint white. But I also love the blue door idea. I think the blue may be a bold choice, but the only thing it does is make the screen much more of a focus piece in the room which I don't think is a bad thing.

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